The inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 7,468,127, issued Jan. 6, 2005, and entitled “Hand-Held Shower Head with Filter Replacing Pre-Alarm Assembly,” disclosed a first generation of a showerhead series, the most recent upgrade of which was disclosed in a family of patent applications of the inventor entitled “Hand Held Shower Head with Filter Replacing Pre-Alarm Assembly” and including Taiwan Patent Appl. No. 101129129, Mainland China Patent Appl. No. 201210425572.5, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/729,063 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0042240, UK Patent Appl. No. 1308734.11308734.1, German Patent Appl. No. 102013108371.4, Japanese Patent No. 5594615, and Korean Patent No. 10-147159, The foregoing patents and pending patent applications entitled “Hand Held Shower Head with Filter Replacing Pre-Alarm Assembly” disclose a showerhead shell 100, an internal lid 70, an impeller 80, a hood 90, a detachable alerting pod 200 and a signal circuit device 300, in which the showerhead shell 100 is a plastic hollow casing extruded into unitary piece having a shelf 103 that encompasses an obverse side 101 with a set of peripheral male threads 120 and a reverse side 102 to form an integral body. The showerhead shell 100 has a handle butt 104 having a tapered periphery and from which a tube having threads 106 extends to connect with corresponding threads of a handle filter cartridge 60. A hollow water entry 105 extends through the handle butt 104, and a receptacle 107 is formed in an interior of the obverse side 101. A water exit bore base 109 and an impeller well 108 with an impeller hub notch 110 extend inwardly into an interior bottom surface of the receptacle 107, and a water inlet channel 111 is formed to communicate between the hollow water entry 105 in the handle butt 104 and an adjacent side of the impeller well 108, while a water outlet channel 112 is formed to communicate between the water exit bore base 109 and the other side of the impeller well 108 (as indicated by the dotted line portion shown in FIG. 3). A round recess socket 113 extends inwardly into the reverse side 102 of the shelf 103 to receive a detachable alerting pod 200 such that a terminal latching notch 114 is created in the distal internal wall (shown on the left in the main and enlarged views of FIG. 2) of the recess socket 113 while a snap latching arm 115 extends from the proximal internal wall (shown on the right side in FIG. 2) of the recess socket 113 in addition, a finger guiding groove 116 extends into the top surface of the handle butt 104 abutting the rim of the reverse side 102.
An internal lid 70, which is a planiform disk tightly attached on the bottom side of the receptacle 107 in the showerhead shell 100, has an inward surface 71 facing toward the obverse side 101 of the showerhead shell 100, an impeller hub notch 72 formed therein to correspond with the impeller hub notch 110 of the impeller well 108, a water outlet 73 formed therein to correspond with the water exit bore base 109 of the receptacle 107 in the showerhead shell 100, and a plurality of screw holes 74 extending through the internal lid 70 at a periphery thereof such that the screw holes 74 spread around the impeller hub notch 72 and water outlet 73.
An impeller 80, which is a cylindrical profile body with plural radially extending curved vanes, has two central protruding hubs 81 coaxially disposed at a respective top side and bottom side thereof, and a magnetic element 82 embedded in the top cut of one vane such that the impeller 80 is freely rotatable in the impeller well 108 by means of the two central protruding hubs 81 being mated with the impeller hub notch 110 of the impeller well 108 and the impeller hub notch 72 of the internal lid 70 respectively (as shown in FIG. 14).
A hood 90, which is a plastic disk extruded into a unitary piece, is provided with female threads 91 that extend around a bottom rim of the hood and a plurality of water spray holes 92 spread over the surface thereof so that the female threads 91 can mate with the male threads 120 on the obverse side 101 of the showerhead shell 100 by screwing engagement, so that the water spray holes 92 enable the water in the receptacle 107 on the obverse side 101 of the showerhead shell 100 to jet out.
The alerting pod 200, which is a plastic capsule made by high frequency or ultrasonic fusion of a plastic transparent lid 201 and a plastic mounting cavity 202 to form a hermetically watertight integral body to be embedded into the round recess socket 113 of the reverse side 102 of the showerhead shell 100 for accommodating the signal circuit device 300 therein (as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11). Alerting pod 200 has a terminal latching projection 203 created on a heading rim of the alerting pod (left in FIGS. 1 and 8) while a snap latching notch 204 is formed on the rear rim of the alerting pod (right in FIG. 8), and two passive recharging electrodes 205 are firmly inset in an internal bottom wall of the mounting cavity 202, with each individual end of the two passive recharging electrodes 205 protruding out of the mounting cavity 202 (as shown on the lower side in the enlarged view in FIG. 8).
The signal circuit device 300, which is contained in the alerting pod 200, includes a microprocessor 301, an LCD display circuit 302 electrically connected to the microprocessor 301 with its location near the transparent lid 201, a rechargeable battery 303 electrically connected to the microprocessor 301, and a magnetic reed switch 304 securely inset on the internal bottom side of the mounting cavity 202 (as shown in FIG. 7) such that the rechargeable battery 303 is connected with the passive recharging electrode 205 of the alerting pod 200 via a pair of wires W (as shown on the lower side of the enlarged view in FIG. 8).
Assembly steps for the shower head of FIGS. 1 to 8 are illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 16, as follows:
a. Align the protruding hub 81 (upper side in FIG. 9) of the impeller 80 having magnetic element 82 in one vane with the impeller hub notch 110 of the impeller well 108 in the obverse side 101 of the showerhead shell 100, and then put the protruding hub 81 into the impeller hub notch 110 so that the magnetic element 82 of the impeller 80 faces toward the recess socket 113 of the showerhead shell 100 (as shown in FIG. 9).
b. Attach the inward surface 71 of the internal lid 70 against the top surface of the receptacle 107 in the showerhead shell 100 so that the impeller hub notch 72 of the internal lid 70 sleeves over the other protruding hub 81 of the impeller 80 (lower side in FIG. 10), drive every self-tapping screw S into the internal bottom wall of the receptacle 107 via corresponding screw hole 74 of the internal lid 70 respectively so that the internal lid 70 is closely attached with the top surface of the receptacle 107 to allow the impeller 80 to freely rotate in the impeller well 108 (as shown in FIG. 11).
c. Mate the female threads 91 on the hood 90 with the male threads 120 on the obverse side 101 of the showerhead shell 100 by screwing engagement to complete the assembly for the obverse side 101 of the showerhead shell 100 (as shown in FIG. 12).
d. Align and mate the terminal latching projection 203 in the mounting cavity 202 of the alerting pod 200 with the terminal latching notch 114 in the recess socket 113 of the reverse side 102 of the showerhead shell 100 (as shown in FIG. 13 and in the left upper enlarged view of FIG. 14) so that the bottom side of the snap latching notch 204 in the mounting cavity 202 will contact with the top side of the snap latching projection 115 in the recess socket 113 (right side of the upper enlarged view shown in FIG. 14). Then, thoroughly latch the snap latching notch 204 in the mounting cavity 202 with the snap latching projection 115 of the recess socket 113 by forcibly applying downward force F1 over the transparent lid 201 (enlarged view shown in FIG. 15) so that the terminal latching projection 203 in the mounting cavity 202 also fully latches with the terminal latching notch 114 in the recess socket 113 simultaneously (enlarged view shown in FIG. 16) to complete the assembly for the alerting pod 200 and showerhead shell 100. Thus, the overall assembly steps in the shower head of FIGS. 1 to 8 are finished.
For operation of the shower head of FIGS. 1 to 8, please further refer to FIGS. 17 to 19. Prior to operating the shower head, first screw the handle filter cartridge 60 with the tubular threads 106 on the handle butt 104 of the showerhead shell 100, and then connect a detachable water pipe P to the handle filter cartridge 60 (as shown in FIG. 17). Once the shower head is hooked up, the tap water enters into the impeller well 108 sequentially via the handle filter cartridge 60, the water entry 105 in the handle butt 104, and the water inlet channel 111, to drive the impeller 80 rotate. Then, the tap water in the impeller well 108 flows out of the water outlet 73 in the internal lid 70 sequentially via the water outlet channel 112 and the water exit bore base 109. Finally, the tap water is jetted out of the water spray holes 92 in the hood 90 (as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19). For each rotation of the impeller 80 driven by the running water, the magnetic element 82 thereof simultaneously switches the magnetic reed switch 304 in the alerting pod 200 one time to induce a switching signal, which is relayed to the microprocessor 301 in the signal circuit device 300 for being processed to generate accumulation data at certain preset intervals for further transmission to the LCD display circuit 302 for displaying a related quantity of water flow thereon in accordance with following formula:quantity of water flow(Q)=cross sectional area(A)times flow velocity(V)
The foregoing quantity of water flow (Q) shown in the LCD display circuit 302 is the accumulated quantity of water that has flowed through the handle filter cartridge 60, which relates to the total quantity of water flow used during the overall service life of the handle filter cartridge 60. Moreover, the foregoing quantity of water flow (Q) is pre-stored in the microprocessor 301. Thereby, a user of the shower head can get real time statistical data of the total filtered water quantity that has flowed through handle filter cartridge 60 by simply looking at the LCD display circuit 302 via the transparent lid 201 of the alerting pod 200. Once the total filtered water quantity that has flowed through handle filter cartridge 60 reaches (or nearly reaches) a predetermined critical value for the rated service life time of the specific handle filter cartridge 60, the microprocessor 301 will send an alerting signal with current data of the total filtered water quantity to the LCD display circuit 302 for reminding the user that it is time to replace the handle filter cartridge 60 in order to ensure good quality of the handle filter cartridge 60 and the water filtered thereby. Therefore, the user can avoid the harmful consequences to health caused by unclean water, which occurs as a result of missing the replacement time and continuing to use the ineffective handle filter cartridge 60.
For replacing or recharging the handle filter cartridge 60, please further refer to FIGS. 20 to 25. The hand held shower head with filter replacing pre-alarm device of shown in FIGS. 20 TO 25 further includes a battery recharging mount 400, which includes a battery recharging cavity 401 with a pair of active recharging electrodes 402 to securely contact the corresponding pair of protruding ends of the passive recharging electrodes 205 in the mounting cavity 202 of the alerting pod 200, for performing a recharging operation on the rechargeable battery 303 in the alerting pod 200. The profile of the battery recharging cavity 401 is arranged to resemble, but is slightly bigger than, the profile of the mounting cavity 202 in the alerting pod 200 to adequately accommodate the mounting cavity 202 therein for performing the recharging operation on the rechargeable battery in the alerting pod (as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25).
The power of the rechargeable battery 303 in the alerting pod 200 might run out when the handle filter cartridge 60 has been replaced several times. In that event, to replace or recharge the handle filter cartridge 60, first lift the marginal edge of the transparent lid 201 in the alerting pod 200 by hooking one finger along the finger guiding groove 116 in the reverse side 102 of the showerhead shell 100 (as shown in FIG. 20), and then applying an upward force F2 on the mounting cavity 202 (as shown in FIG. 21) until the snap latching notch 204 of the alerting pod 200 releases the snap latching projection 115 in the recess socket 113 of the showerhead shell 100 (as shown on the right upper side of the enlarged view in FIG. 21). Second, continuously apply an upward force F2 on the mounting cavity 202, the entire alerting pod 200 will fully detach from the recess socket 113 in the reverse side 102 of the showerhead shell 100 (as shown in FIGS. 22 and 23). Finally, insert the detached alerting pod 200 into the battery recharging cavity 401 of the battery recharging mount 400, at which time the rechargeable battery 303 in the alerting pod 200 will be properly recharged (as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25).
The prior art handheld showerhead with filter-replacement pre-alarm device does achieve the expected effects after having been practically tested many times. However, some issues remain, such as uneven top-heavy weight distribution, accelerated aging fatigue, and unnecessary purchase waste, as described below.
1. Uneven Top-Heavy Weight Distribution:
Please refer to FIGS. 1, 7, 17 and 18. In the prior art handheld showerhead with filter replacing pre-alarm device shown therein, some components such as rechargeable battery 303 and magnetic reed switch 304 with related parts are inserted into the alerting pod 200 of the showerhead shell 100, while some components such as impeller 80 and internal lid 70 with related parts are inserted into the impeller well 108 of the showerhead shell 100 so that the bulky showerhead shell 100 becomes heavier at the top than the slender handle of the handle filter cartridge 60 at the bottom. On the other hand, in the conventional market-available handheld shower head with built-in filter but not pre-alarm device, there is no such disadvantage that the bulky showerhead shell 100 is heavier at the top than the slender handle of the handle filter cartridge 60 at the bottom. Accordingly, the showerhead set with the pre-alarm device can become a heavy burden for younger or older users, causing their arms to ache when using the showerhead set. Moreover, the top-heavy showerhead set can easily fall to the floor during a shower due to the uneven weight distribution. Consequently, the components in the showerhead set not only may have a shortened service life, but can also quickly malfunction with respect to the water quantity measurement and pre-alarm functions.
2. Accelerated Aging Fatigue:
Please refer to FIGS. 22 to 25. To carry out recharging of the rechargeable battery 303 in the prior art hand held shower head with filter-replacement pre-alarm device, the alerting pod 200 must be taken off from the round docking socket 113 of the showerhead shell 100 and reinserted into the round recess socket 113 of the showerhead shell 100. By frequently repeating such a recharging operation, damage to the snap latching projection 115 in the round recess socket 113 of the showerhead shell 100 will be hastened by aging fatigue. Consequently, the round recess socket 113 of the showerhead shell 100 will not have a shortened service life, but the user will be obliged to replace the integral showerhead shell 100 prematurely.
3. Unnecessary Purchase Waste:
Please refer to FIGS. 8 and 24. If the user wants to recharge the rechargeable battery 303 in the prior art hand held shower head with filter-replacement pre-alarm device, the rechargeable battery 303 must be taken off from the alerting pod 200 of the showerhead shell 100 and reinserted into the battery recharging cavity 401 of the battery recharging mount 400 so that the active recharging electrode 402 can electrically connect with the passive recharging electrode 205 of the mounting cavity 202. As a result, both the active recharging electrode 402 and passive recharging electrode 205 will inevitably rust because of exposure to ambient moisture, so that a bad electrical connection between active recharging electrode 402 and passive recharging electrode 205 will happen sooner or later. The bad electrical connection between active recharging electrode 402 and passive recharging electrode 205 will not only shorten the service life but also oblige the user to prematurely replace the integral showerhead shell 100.
All of the above-described drawbacks aforesaid are harmful to the promotion of the prior art handheld showerhead with filter-replacement pre-alarm device because those drawbacks not only cause extra expense in that the user must frequently replace the filter cartridge, but also reduce motivation for the user to continuously use the product in the first place. In addressing those issues, the inventor of the present invention has diligently researched and developed a new contrivance to overcome the foregoing issues, resulting the present invention.